1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector having a male connector and a female connector capable of mating with each other and connectable to a pair of separated PCBs respectively for electrically connection between the PCBs.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, an electrical connector connectable to a pair of separated PCBs for electrically connecting between the PCBs is required in personal computers, mobile phones or the likes.
A conventional lower profile electrical connector assembly described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,916 comprises a socket and a detachable plug. The socket and the plug respectively has a plurality of arrayed first terminals, second terminals mounted thereon. Each second terminal comprises an U-shaped portion having an upwardly extending second spring contact, a second lead extending outwardly from a bottom of the plug for electrically connecting with a PCB and a connecting portion connecting the second spring contact and the second lead. Each first terminal comprises a first spring contact, a generally S-shaped section and a first lead extending outwardly from a bottom of the socket for electrically connecting with another PCB. The generally S-shaped section has an inverted U-shaped portion fixed to the socket and an upright U-shaped portion extending from an end of the inverted U-shaped portion. The first spring contact is formed at a free end of the upright U-shaped portion for contacting with the second spring contact of the second terminal. When the plug is inserted into the socket, the second spring contact yields to the first spring contact and is caused to resiliently flex inwardly for being resisted against by the first spring contact. The first and second terminals are thus kept electrically connected due to the engagement between the first and the second spring contact.
The S-shaped section has a fixed inverted U-shaped portion and an upright U-shaped portion capable of resiliently flexing. When the second spring contact is resisting against the first spring contact, the unfixed upright U-shaped portion could not have a sufficient resilient deformation and thus is easy to have a distort. That may result in unreliable engagement between the first and second spring contact.
Another conventional connector described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,623,308 comprises a socket body and a detachable plug body provided with two pairs of flanges at a pair of opposite sides. The socket body and the plug body respectively has a plurality of arrayed first terminals, second terminals mounted thereon. Each first terminal comprises a contacting portion mounted along an outer surface of the plug body and a soldering portion extending from an end of the contacting portion for soldering onto a PCB. A slot is defined between each pair of flanges for insertion of the mounting portions to thereby make the first terminals fixed to the plug body.
As is described above, the first terminals are fixed to the plug body by making the soldering portions thereof inserted into slots. Therefore, the first terminals could not be fastened in the plug body firmly and thus is easy to be divorced from the plug body when the plug body is inserted into or pulled out from the socket body for many times.
Another conventional electrical connector is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0157478. The electrical connector to which a mating connector is fitted, comprises an insulator and a plurality of first terminals arranged in a pair of opposed walls of the insulator. Each first terminal has a contact portion formed at an end thereof, an S-shaped bent portion extending from the contact portion, a connecting portion fixed to the insulator and a tail formed at another end for soldering onto a PCB. When the first terminals are contacting with a plurality of second terminals assembled to the mating connector, the unfixed S-shaped bent portion would have a resilient deformation.
However, the S-shaped bent portions could not supply sufficient resilient force or adequate intensity to the first terminals when the structure is used for certain a long time. That may result in unreliable engagement between the first and second terminals.
Hence, an improved electrical connector is required to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages of the related art.